Police in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo have used tear gas to break up a protest against the football World Cup, hours before the city hosts the opening match, BBC News reported.

Reports said at least one person was arrested. Protesters said they planned to march close to the stadium where the opening ceremony will take place. Further protests are planned in other Brazilian cities against the expense of hosting the tournament.

TV footage in Sao Paulo showed riot police using tear gas and rubber truncheons to disperse about 50 protesters near a metro station on the route to the Arena Corinthians.

The demonstrators had been chanting "there won't be a Cup".

Last year, more than a million people joined protests across the country to demand better public services and highlight corruption and the high cost of staging the World Cup.

Since then, other smaller anti-World Cup protests have been staged in Brazil, with some descending into violence.